All Blacks captain Scott Barrett is expected to miss the Crusaders’ 2026 Super Rugby Pacific season after exercising a clause in his New Zealand Rugby contract.
Crusaders boss Rob Penney suggested as much after the announcement that he has extended his contract as head coach of the Christchurch-based outfit.
Penney survived an end-of-season review last year after the Crusaders failed to make the play-offs in his first campaign in charge.
However, he turned things around in his second year in charge, helping them back to the top of the pile in 2025, clinching their 13th Super Rugby title. The Crusaders boss has opted to extend his contract by just one more season as he plans to take it year by year.
Scott Barrett sabbatical
While he is eager to chase more history in 2026, he expects to do so without the services of All Blacks captain Barrett, who he believes will exercise a non-playing sabbatical clause in his contract and skip the next Super Rugby season.
“I’m pretty certain he’ll do something,” Penney said.
“He’s earned the right to (rest) and he needs to. That big body of his has been knocked around both for the Crusaders and for the All Blacks for a long time now. So as Codie (All Blacks and Crusaders hooker Codie Taylor) did eighteen months ago, I suspect he’ll have a good break and he’s deserves it.
“It’ll be up to other people in the group to step up and when Scoot’s (Barrett) ready we’ll welcome him back with open arms.”
While Taylor opted to take up a non-playing sabbatical, with Barrett seemingly set to follow his clubmate, several other All Blacks have instead decided to take the opportunity to play abroad.
Jordie Barrett, Scott’s younger brother, has just returned from a stint with Leinster, while Rieko Ioane is set to join the Irish club later this year. Anton Lienert-Brown and Ardie Savea will both skip Super Rugby next season to play for Japanese club Kobelco Kobe Steelers.
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Penney extends
Speaking on his contract renewal, Penney added: “I’m really excited and humbled to be given the opportunity to work with this great organisation and team again.
“This group is on the cusp of doing something pretty special again and I’m rapt to be a part of it.”
With the 2025 end-of-season review process now completed, Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge said there was a constant theme emerging about Penney.
“Rob uses the term love a lot – he loves this place, loves the environment and loves the players – he comes from this real place of deep care, and I think that’s felt by all of the players,” says Mansbridge.
“The players talked about how much he cared for them and how he genuinely tried to do the best that he could for them.”